Google has made its Car Home app available in the Android Market. The app has been given a visual facelift and settings that may make it less likely that users turn to the alternative car dock apps currently popular in the Market.

Car Home now features customizable shortcuts for car home functions, saved directions shortcuts, and launching other applications. Users are also able to rearrange the placement of shortcuts, change wallpaper or icon tinting, and automatically start Bluetooth when launched.

Phones that don’t run stock Android may have some trouble launching the app. It took me a while to figure out how to get the app to launch since it doesn’t appear in the app drawer or launch from the Market. Here’s how I got it to work on my EVO:

I can't see it either. The link above leads to a "oops not here" page both using Firefox on my PC and the browser on my Droid X. I checked using the original market app and it's not there either. Did they remove it already?

It looks like the app has been pulled from the Market and Appbrain. I extracted the apk from my phone this morning and posted it up on our web site (www.robotbriefs.com) in the downloads section. You have to be running Froyo to use it. Also, if you are on an HTC device, you will not see it show up in your applications. To launch it, tap on Car Panel in applications. You will then be given a choice of launching either Car Home or Car Panel. My recent post Epic 4G Update Delayed – Conspiracy Not So- Says Sprint

I was able to download it from the Market. I am running Damage Control ROM. One thing I don't like is the fact that you cannot do shortcuts or widgets like you can with Custom Car Home. The GUI of Google is very pretty. If they would support shortcuts and widgets (like Smart Shortcuts)I would do it in a heartbeat. So far, I will stick with CCH.